Various devices can be installed in a well traversing a hydrocarbon-bearing subterranean formation. Some devices control the flow rate of fluid between the formation and tubing, such as production or injection tubing. An example of these devices is an inflow control device. An inflow control device can be used to control and regulate fluid flow from a fluid producing formation. For example, an inflow control device can restrict the rate of flow for fluid produced from a formation. Restricting the rate of flow for fluid produced from a formation can balance production from different portions of the formation (i.e., “production zones”) such that if more fluid is being produced from a first production zone than is being produced from a second production zone, production from the second production zone is not overwhelmed by production from the first production zone.
Each inflow control device positioned along a production string provides a single flow path for production fluid. Having a single flow path can increase the risk of production delays resulting from a blockage of an inlet of an inflow control device.
It is desirable to provide an inflow control device having multiple flow paths.